'Incredible pace & intensity': Why En Nesyri can mimic fellow Moroccan at Al Ittihad | OneFootball

The last time Al Ittihad signed a Moroccan international in the mid-season transfer window, it worked out pretty well.

To be fair, that’s a gross understatement.

The recruit came in 2021, when the Jeddah giants acquired Abderrazak Hamdallah from rivals Al Nassr. In three seasons on the shores of the Red Sea, the Moroccan became one of the Roshn Saudi League’s most prolific strikers, netting 52 goals in 63 games. He sits today at second in the all-time scoring charts.

Pivotal to Al Ittihad’s 2022-23 championship-winning team, it was enough for Hamdallah to take another RSL golden boot. Indeed, it represented his third - itself a record, held along with Omar Al Somah.

So, following a frantic conclusion to the 2025-26 winter transfer window, Al Ittihad will be hoping lightning can strike twice. Right on deadline, the current RSL champions snared the signature of Morocco’s 2022 FIFA World Cup hero, Youssef En Nesyri, not long after captain Karim Benzema departed for Al Hilal.

Replacing the former Ballon d’Or winner is an almost impossible task but, at 10 years Benzema’s junior, En Nesyri offers significant upside for Al Ittihad as they look to the future beyond this season.

While the top-flight trophy seemingly won’t be returning to their Jeddah headquarters this term, barring the most unlikely and remarkable of circumstances, Al Ittihad can lay the groundwork for sustained success.

And success is something En Nesyri knows a rather lot about.

The 28-year-old, who was strongly linked with a move to Juventus before joining Al Ittihad, played a leading role for his country en route to the semi-finals of the most recent FIFA World Cup.

It was in Qatar where En Nesyri struck in the group stage against Canada before netting the winner against Portugal in the quarter-finals as Morocco made history.

Physically strong, a tireless worker and a deadly marksman around goal, En Nesyri first made a name for himself in southern Spain, where he enjoyed five seasons with Sevilla. In Andalusia, he won the UEFA Europa League twice, in all scoring 73 goals in 196 appearances.

The standout among those performances was probably his brace against Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League in April 2023, followed by a goal against Juventus in the semi-finals. Patently, without En Nesyri, that title triumph wasn’t possible.

His journey, however, began long before that, at the Muhammed VI football academy in Rabat. Enlisting at age 12, En Nesyri even had a trial with English Premier League heavyweights Chelsea, although he did later concede that he struggled with the capricious UK weather.

“It was cold and I couldn’t take any more,” En Nesyri recalled.

Not, of course, that he’ll have to worry about that in Jeddah. Nor to be fair, did he in southern Spain. Yet it was those experiences that helped mould En Nesyri, burnishing not only his game but his character and resilience.

Truth be told, it was a skillset that required some refining. While physically he was outstanding, there were question marks regarding other parts of En Nesyri's play, which were even acknowledged by Juande Ramos, the revered Spanish manager who gave him his debut at Malaga in 2016.

“[He had] immense physical condition already beating established professionals,” the former Sevilla tactician said. “Which is why I played him even though he naturally had tactical flaws.”

When En Nesyri arrived in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, after two seasons each at Malaga and Leganes - in that period, he netted only 18 goals in 87 appearances - some questioned the club’s decision to spend big on a frontman who apparently had lots still to prove.

But Julen Lopetegui, Sevilla’s manager at the time, was convinced.

“We were a very aggressive team without the ball; we pressed very high and [En Nesyri] seemed perfect because he had incredible pace and intensity,” Lopetegui told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“We weren’t wrong, and we discovered other qualities as well. He’s an aggressive striker who works extremely hard for the team. He proved to be perfect for our way of applying pressure in the final third.

“And then, when it comes to his aerial game, he has this precise timing. He attacks the ball in a courageous and powerful way when the crosses come in from the wings. It should also be added that he’s very fast, which can be exploited in transitions.”

Lopetegui’s show of faith was rewarded: En Nesyri blossomed, finishing fifth in the race for the golden boot in the 2020-21 La Liga, with 18 goals. Ironically, one of those ahead of him was none other than Benzema - the man he has succeeded at Al Ittihad.

For sure, Benzema’s are big boots to fill after he captained Al Ittihad last season to the title and to the King’s Cup trophy as well. But, at Al Ittihad, En Nesyri will find a manager in Sergio Conceicao who likes to play an aggressive style, similar to Lopetegui.

As the player's history highlights, it’s one that’s proven to be to his liking.

En Nesyri’s predatory talent was apparent only this week, when he opened his Al Ittihad account with a goal inside three minutes in the AFC Champions League Elite victory against Al Gharafa.

“A special moment,” he posted on social media. “What is coming is better, Inshallah.”

That’s, of course, the hope. And, if En Nesyri can reach those same heights that he did in Spain, he may prove a second mighty Moroccan marksman equipped to fire Al Ittihad back to glory.